BAM-Sports
This project's parent organization is World Sport Chicago
It operates in United States
It uses Multiple sports
Entered the Sport for Education Award
More about BAM-Sports
One demographic groups that society has written off is young men of color living in under-resourced communities. These 13 to 18 year old young men who are disengaging from school and society are viewed as too late in life to benefit from intervention. Their path is often dropping out of school, low employment and periodic incarceration. However, BAM-Sports has proven that this population can be helped and in turn can become re-engaged in school and show substantial reductions in school disciplinary and criminal behavior.
Through the combination of cognitive behavioral therapy with social emotional learning through sport built on a curriculum of core values, BAM-Sports is a proven, potent, effective method to tackle the chaotic and troubling times these young men face.
Through the use of non-traditional sports, such as boxing and rugby, BAM-Sports provides an overarching, holistic sport program that leverages the unique power of individual sport and a team sport. However, the most innovative aspect of the program is that our sports mentors are actively serving these young men directly in the school where the need for guidance and growth is crucial. This is not just an after-school sports program for kids in an underserved community: this is an encompassing, interactive, and unique program that has taken the conversation and work of molding a forgotten generation of young men directly to ground zero.